Celebrating Pro Bono Excellence:

Recognizing the Diamond, Ruby, and Sapphire Sponsors of the 74th Annual Harvest Celebration

One of the most well-known—and most anticipated—events hosted by the Houston Bar Association and Houston Bar Foundation every year is the Harvest Celebration.
Although the Harvest Celebration has been the legal community’s main social event since 1949, it was designated a fundraiser more than 20 years ago and has raised millions of dollars for pro bono legal services through Houston Volunteer Lawyers.

All net proceeds from the Houston Bar Association and Houston Bar Foundation’s signature fundraising and networking event benefit Houston Volunteer Lawyers (HVL) in their mission to provide access to justice. HVL is the largest pro bono legal service provider in Texas. In 2022, HVL provided $12 million worth of pro bono legal services to the Houston community. By generously underwriting the Harvest Celebration, our sponsors play a large role in supporting that access to justice.

The co-chairs of this year’s Harvest Celebration are HBA President Diana Gomez of Chamberlain Hrdlicka, HBF Chair Monica Karuturi of CenterPoint Energy, Inc., and HBA Treasurer Daniella Landers of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. They said:

“The Houston Bar Foundation (HBF) and Houston Bar Association (HBA), in partnership with the Houston Bar Association Auxiliary (HBAA), are proud to sponsor the 74th Annual Harvest Celebration to celebrate the achievements of the Houston legal community and support access to justice through Houston Volunteer Lawyers (HVL). We are incredibly grateful for the support of our sponsors and attendees, which enables HVL as the largest pro bono legal services provider in Texas to assist our Houston neighbors in need. Together, we are transforming lives and creating a lasting impact by helping to shrink the justice gap in our community."

As we prepare to welcome you to the 74th Annual Harvest Celebration at River Oaks Country Club on Monday, November 13, we asked our Diamond, Ruby, and Sapphire sponsors to tell you in their own words why they support the Harvest Celebration.

Why It’s Important to Support HVL Through the Harvest Celebration

“The practice of law is a privilege that gives us status in the community, in exchange for which we have a continuing obligation to our community to provide legal services to those who cannot afford to pay. The Harvest Celebration is our time to renew our commitment as lawyers to fulfill those obligations, and to help create paths to justice for those who would otherwise be the unseen, the forgotten, and the overlooked.”
–Kaylan Dunn, partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
  Diamond Sponsor

“This event is truly a Celebration—celebrating the bar’s commitment to pro bono, celebrating the opportunity to give back, and celebrating the community that dedicates itself to providing much needed legal services. Locke Lord proudly participates in the Celebration and the cause.”
–David E. Harrell, Jr., HBA president-elect and partner, Locke Lord LLP
  Diamond Sponsor

“The Harvest Celebration is tremendously important to our community because its proceeds provide legal aid for families in crisis, veterans in need, people facing eviction and others with civil legal issues. As part of its ongoing commitment to pro bono service, Norton Rose Fulbright proudly supports the Houston Bar Association and Houston Bar Foundation’s longstanding charity event.”
–Carter Dugan, partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
  Diamond Sponsor

“There is no charitable event that does more to fund access to justice in Houston. If you care about our brothers and sisters in Houston having access to the justice system, this is the event to sponsor; this is the place to be.”
–Christopher V. Popov, immediate past president of the HBA and partner, Vinson & Elkins LLP
  Diamond Sponsor

“Many Houstonians in need can obtain help with healthcare, housing, food and jobs, but legal help is just as important. Our profession has an obligation to help people—not only those with resources, but also those who need our help, but cannot afford most legal help. We are proud to help this very worthy cause.”
–John Eddie Williams Jr., founder and managing partner, Williams Hart & Boundas, LLP
  Diamond Sponsor

“Service is the backbone of becoming an attorney. I chose this career to guide my peers through difficult times in their lives. By sponsoring the Harvest Celebration, which benefits the people who provide essential, pro bono legal services, we can continue to serve all our community.”
–Benny Agosto, Jr., HBA past president and managing partner, Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner
  Ruby Sponsor

“Many of our lawyers grew up poor. As quality legal help becomes more expensive and out of reach for many Americans, AZA believes strongly in paying it forward to assist those who face the same economic challenges we faced. We are honored to be part of this noble effort.”
–John Zavitsanos, managing partner, AZA Law
  Ruby Sponsor

“Pro bono is not just about giving back. It’s an important way for attorneys to stay grounded and connected to the real struggles people in our community face. Our profession can be a force for good. We are honored to support the Harvest Celebration and to be involved in the work Houston Volunteer Lawyers does year-round.”
–Larry Campagna, managing shareholder, Chamberlain Hrdlicka
  Ruby Sponsor

“On behalf of the HBA Litigation Section, we are proud to sponsor the 74th Annual Harvest Celebration. As lawyers—and especially as litigators—we are called upon to serve as advocates. It is a privilege to advocate for access to justice by supporting Houston Volunteer Lawyers in their mission to provide crucial pro bono legal services to those who need it most.”
–Louie Layrisson, partner, Baker Botts L.L.P., 2023-2024 chair of the HBA Litigation Section
  Ruby Sponsor

“Susman Godfrey is proud to continue its longstanding support of the Harvest Celebration benefiting Houston Volunteer Lawyers and the important pro bono services that this remarkable organization provides to our community.”
–Susman Godfrey L.L.P.
  Sapphire Sponsor

The Importance of Supporting Pro Bono Work and Access
to Justice in Houston
 

“Access to legal assistance is essential for all Houstonians to exercise their legal rights and protections. From advice clinics to matters of divorce, guardianship, estate planning, veterans’ benefits, and naturalization, to name just a few examples, there is no shortage of opportunities to provide pro bono legal services in our city, one of the largest and most diverse in the country. Lawyers make a meaningful impact on the lives of their clients through pro bono work, and each engagement contributes to making justice equally accessible to all.”
–S. Grace Ho, senior counsel at Chevron Services Company and chair of Chevron’s Houston Pro Bono Committee
  Ruby Sponsor

How Sponsoring the Harvest Celebration Campaign Aligns With Your Firm’s Values

“Access to justice has been a Baker Botts priority for over 180 years. As a native Houston law firm, we remain committed to this community through our work as a founding member and working partner of Houston Volunteer Lawyers and the Houston Bar Association.”
–Baker Botts L.L.P.
  Diamond Sponsor

“Bracewell’s firm culture encourages pro bono work and serving the underprivileged in our community. Bracewell is proud to support the Harvest Celebration because the proceeds benefit Houston Volunteer Lawyers and local pro bono efforts.”
–Warren Harris, HBA past president and partner, Bracewell LLP
  Diamond Sponsor

“BakerHostetler is proud to continue its longstanding commitment to the Houston Bar Association and Houston Volunteer Lawyers by sponsoring the 2023 Harvest Celebration Campaign. Our support is an extension of our firm’s core values to develop and sustain strong client relationships; provide responsive, high-quality legal services; and give back generously to our communities.”
–BakerHostetler LLP
  Sapphire Sponsor

“We at CenterPoint Energy recognize the significant need for free, voluntary legal services and are honored to support the Harvest Celebration to help those who don’t have access to essential legal representation. CenterPoint Energy takes its responsibility to be a good corporate citizen seriously and we want to do our part to further the company’s strong reputation in the community by supporting Houston Volunteer Lawyers through events like the Harvest Celebration and by volunteering our attorneys’ unique skills to address the considerable gap in legal aid. Our goal is to bridge that gap and give people hope so that justice may always be served.”
–Alicia Dixon, director, community relations, CenterPointEnergy, Inc.
  Sapphire Sponsor

“At LyondellBasell, one of our values is to ‘champion people,’ as they are at the heart of everything we do. We also believe in being good community neighbors, which includes making resources available to a wide array of people in the Houston area. Supporting the Harvest Celebration through our global corporate citizenship program, Advancing Good, is a natural fit for our company because it is a crucial component of HVL’s ability to provide access to legal services for individuals who would otherwise have nowhere else to turn.”
–Jeffrey Kaplan, executive vice president and general counsel, LyondellBasell
  Sapphire Sponsor

“Morgan Lewis has a deep commitment to doing work for the public good, which manifests through the pro bono efforts of lawyers in every one of our global offices. In Houston, our close partnership with HVL allows us to serve vulnerable residents in our local community. We are honored to support the Harvest Celebration and work with HVL to help bridge the justice gap, including through eviction defense work, citizenship work, and clearing criminal records.”
–Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
  Sapphire Sponsor

“Winston’s longstanding support of the Houston Volunteer Lawyers and Annual Harvest Celebration is in keeping with our firm’s commitment to excellence in serving the public interest. As lawyers, we play a special role in providing access to justice for those who cannot afford to hire counsel. The work we do through HVL helps bring our firm’s values to life and makes Harris County a more just place for all who live here.”
–Denise Scofield, partner, Winston & Strawn LLP
  Sapphire Sponsor

If these testimonials resonated with you, there’s still time to become a sponsor of the 74th Annual Harvest Celebration at hba.org/harvest.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of this year’s Harvest Celebration sponsors. See the complete list of sponsors here.

This article was originally published in the September/October 2023 issue of The Houston Lawyer. Click here to see the digital version of the issue.